Kerala Man Detained At Imphal Airport With 900 gm Gold Paste Worth Rs 42 Lakh Inside His Rectum
The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) arrested a man who was trying to smuggle nearly a kilogram of gold through the Imphal Airport.
The accused, identified as Mohammad Sharif - a resident of Kozhikode, in Kerala was arrested on Monday when he had arrived at the airport to travel to New Delhi.
He was examined by the CISF officials due to his suspicious movement.
During the examination, the officials found that Sharif was hiding over 900 grams of gold in paste form in his rectum.
Gold worth Rs 42 lakh
According to officials, the seized gold is worth around Rs 42 lakh.
Smuggling gold in paste form, hidden inside the rectum has been a trick gold smugglers have been using for a long time.
In Kerala, where most of the smuggled gold comes to, in India, such cases and arrests are frequent.
Recently, a couple who had flown from Sharjah was arrested at the Kannur Airport in Kerala was arrested by the Customs officials with nearly 3 Kgs of gold paste hidden inside their bodies.
The couple, Mansoor and Safina were carrying gold in paste form worth Rs 14 crore when they were caught.
According to officials, smuggling gold in paste form is a new way that helps smuggled dodge metal detectors, with numerous reports of this practice emerging since 2018. The gold paste can look very unlike gold in photographs, but it can be extracted from it later using a chemical process.?
People involved in smuggling have confessed that it is a high-risk move, but one of the most effective ways to get the yellow metal transported illegally.
It is said that only an 'experienced' smuggler can hide that much amount of gold in their body and travel for hours without bleeding or getting caught.
In most cases what gives them away is their movement. With that much amount of gold hidden in the rectum, the carrier often finds it difficult to walk properly and the discomfort can even be visible on the face.
Eagle-eyed custom officials can spot such gold carriers by observing their movement.
There have also been cases in Kerala where smugglers were caught with gold paste, painted on the carrier's jeans.
Last month, officials at the Kannur airport had seized 302 grams of gold worth Rs 14 lakh from a passenger who had managed to hide it as a paste that was hidden between the layers of the pair of pants he was wearing.
